The Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB) has launched an eastern Porirua service to make it easier for residents in Cannons Creek and Waitangirua to use their services.

The Porirua East CAB service will initially be open every Wednesday afternoon, and will move very soon to two afternoons each week. This will give residents free advice and information on their rights and offer support to help them get the best outcomes. Fundraising by the Porirua Rotary group made this new service possible, enabling the CAB to purchase laptops and printers, and engage experts to arrange the necessary IT support.

"This is great news for eastern Porirua as the CAB’s free service is often a lifeline for people who need advice on their rights and obligations, especially when they are in a sticky situation and don’t know who to turn to," says Porirua Mayor Anita Baker.

The CAB offers free, confidential, independent information and advice to anyone that walks through their doors, and they also work to influence social policy, both locally and nationally.

The major driver for opening an eastern Porirua CAB service is that access to transport is a roadblock for many of the residents. Eastern Porirua has low levels of car ownership (19 per cent of households are without a car) and the cost of transport can create a barrier to accessing CAB’s services that are available in the Porirua CBD.

"The CAB location at 219 Bedford Street will be convenient for our residents in Cannons Creek and Waitangirua. The premises are close to local shops and amenities like health centres, blood testing facilities and a pharmacy, which many people in the area use regularly," says Mayor Baker.
She is also calling on locals to get in touch and volunteer at the eastern Porirua CAB office.

"There are many ways that you can help your community out at the CAB. For many residents here, English is their second language and filling in forms or navigating official information online can be daunting. Ideally, we want people to be helped in their preferred language, so please get in touch with the CAB and find out how you can help."

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